“Isn’t he supposed to be in jail?” - Fans react to Julia Piquet saying F1 ‘turned their back’ and didn’t wish Nelson Piquet on his birthday

Former F1 driver and three-time world champion Nelson Piquet was not wished on his birthday by Formula 1 this year, and this had his daughter, Julia Piquet, upset. She posted on X and Instagram, expressing her anger at Formula 1's management for not doing so.

Julia's text read:

"Well... I see getting cancelled by the court of public opinion means no longer deserving happy birthday tweets or recognition of his incredible feats? Shame on you @F1 for turning your back on one of F1's greatest champions. A three-time champion to be exact. I won't forget."

Nelson Piquet was earlier banned from the Formula 1 paddock for the allegedly racist comments he made against Lewis Hamilton in 2021 during an interview.

Fans did not take kindly to Julia Piquet's comments as they felt that Formula 1 not wishing her father made sense owing to the fact that he was banned from the paddock. Here are some of the reactions to Julia's tweet:

"Also isnt he supposed to be in jail."

"The funny thing it wasn’t just a “court of public opinion” that deemed him racist. It was an actual court as well, in Brazil. 😂"

“I won’t forget” ok im sure the FIA is shaking in their books at the thought of one of the piquet spawn being upset."

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Why was Nelson Piquet banned from the F1 paddock?

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen had a heated battle during the 2021 F1 season and there were even a few moments when they made contact on the track. One such collision happened during the British Grand Prix on the opening lap; the two made contact and Verstappen smashed into the wall.

Hamilton and Verstappen during the 2021 British GP Weekend (Photo by Xavi Bonilla - Pool/Getty Images)

Reviewing the crash on a podcast, Nelson Piquet seemed to blame Hamilton for the crash and referred to him using a racial slur. This caught the attention of the F1 authorities and media houses around the world.

The former driver later mentioned that his intent while uttering the term wasn't racial.

But the British Racing Drivers' Club suspended Piquet's membership, and later a Brazilian court asked him to pay US $950,000 in moral damages.

This wasn't the first time that Nelson Piquet had been booked for using insulting language. He was also witnessed using allegedly homophobic language for Hamilton back in 2016.

He has also been booked in the past for using insulting language for others like Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell and his wife, Enzo Ferrari, and Keke Rosberg.